Rebecca ‘Becky’ Hammon became the first woman to lead an NBA team during a regular season game Wednesday night in the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. Hammon, remained at the helm of Spurs when the veteran coach, Gregg Popovich, was taken out of the game in the second quarter.
“He worked hard and every time you do the job you will be rewarded with opportunities. Obviously he has paid floor fees in recent years, Coach Pop has given him the opportunity to coach an elite team and enter as a coach mainly if i something happened, as it did today, “LeBron James said.
Hammon was a player of University of Colorado and later, as a professional, he defended the colors New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars from WNBA. He also played in Europe before retiring as an athlete. Becky has dual citizenship, American and Russian. He defended the colors of the selection of stars and stripes in Williams Jones Cup, but when she was not considered for selection later, she joined the Russian team with which she won a bronze medal in The 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“(Tonight) he had to take a step forward to show his work, talent and love for the game. We all know what she has done as a player so far, so in her mind she managed to transfer that to our League. She’s been wonderful since she arrived, it was nice to hear her directions and play screaming. She is very passionate about the game. Congratulations to her and our league, “said LeBron.
In 2014, after retiring from sports, Hammon joined Gregg Popovich’s coaching team with Spurs. Hammon had already made league history when he became the first full-time assistant coach in the NBA. In 2019, the former player Tim Duncan, remained in front of the team when Popovich was eliminated in a similar match. However, Duncan decided not to return as an assistant this season, so Hammon had a chance to lead.
“It’s well deserved for her,” the Lakers coach said. Frank Vogel. “I talked a lot with her at coaching conventions, she knows her subject, she is here for a reason, she is very smart, the players appreciate her and I think she will be the coach in this league in the future, congratulations for being there. front today for the first time ”.
Spurs fell to the Lakers 121-107 with a LeBron James inspired by the 36th anniversary. Both teams will meet again on Friday to open 2021.